The Kept Promise
by Recalling
Summary: Hinata told Yui he'd marry her in their next life against all odds. Can he keep that promise?
1. Our Souls Meet

**Chapter One  
**Our Souls Meet

"Geez, I don't like the rain," the pink-headed girl sat on her couch, grasping her knees and holding them to her chest as she watched the dark clouds crying outside of the window. It was a gloomy day and had been raining since she awoke a few hours before.

She was an active girl, loving all kinds of sports. Most of all, she spent most of her time playing baseball. She wasn't good at it, but for some unknown reason, she adored doing it anyway.

…But it was raining.

She started to drift to sleep before she saw someone with blue hair run down the sidewalk. Without even thinking, she threw open her front door and called to him.

"HEY! Get in here before you catch a cold, you delinquent!" She yelled with hands cupped around her mouth to stretch her voice farther and louder over the pounding of droplets. He paused in his run, turning and running towards her. He flew at her, not being able to stop at the speed he was going, slamming into her and knocking her back into her house.

For a moment, he leaned over her, water falling from his hair and soaking her face. Then she pushed him off to shut the front door. He breathed heavily, so she sat on the floor before him and glared until he caught his breath.

"Th-thank you," he managed to gasp through all of his huffs and puffs.

"Are you stupid?" She hissed without changing her cold expression. The water that had come from him dripped from her hair.

"I'm s-sorry," he rubbed the back of his head and cheekily grinned with a few chuckles.

"You should be apologizing to yourself," she folded her arms and stuck her nose into the air. "You could get sick doing stupid things like running around in the rain."

He blinked curiously at her. "Why would you let a complete stranger in here?"

Without reason, her face turned completely red with blush, and she immediately jumped up and onto her feet. "M-maybe because I don't want a young guy like you ruining your youth being ill."

He laughed again. "Thank you. I'm Hideki Hinata."

"Yui here," she grinned and chuckled triumphantly.

He stood up and stretched maybe a foot taller than her. She looked up at him, and he looked down.

"Eh, where are my manners?" She quickly turned and walked away from him, heading to the kitchen. "Do you want something to drink? You must be cold. Sit on my couch; I'll get you warm in a jiffy."

"Hot chocolate, I guess?" He called after her, sitting on the couch like he was told. _Jiffy? Who says that these days? Geez, what a strange girl, letting me into her home and then taking care of me… She looks like she's in high school. _"Are you living alone? How old are you?"

Without any time at all, she reemerged from the kitchen with two cups of hot chocolate carefully placed on a steel platter. She set it on the coffee table and sat next to him, grabbing one.

"You ask a lot of questions," she sipped the drink carefully. "I've been here for about four years on my own. I'm 24!" She took another sip and then set it down. "What about you?"

"Me…?" He took a sip and then looked up to her creamy colored ceiling. "I'm 26, and I'm on my own too."

"What were you doing out there, anyway?" She blinked a few times at him before taking another sip.

He looked away from her and laughed. "Actually, I was strolling in the park when it started raining. My house is pretty far away, so…"

"Why didn't you take a taxi?" She swung her legs and hummed after she had asked.

"Ah… I… don't have a job," he dropped his head and sighed.

She stuck his tongue out at him. "Well, fix that, silly."

They both laughed and continued on freely until the rain eventually stopped.

"I should… get going," he stood up and walked to the front door, putting his hand on the knob before turning and waving at her. "Thanks for everything."

She quickly turned the television off and ran to him. "You'll come back, right?"

"Yeah, I have to repay you somehow, don't I?

She nodded and he opened the door, walking out. After getting to the sidewalk, they waved to each other one more time and then he was gone.

* * *

Months went by and she never heard from him again. Yet, she didn't forget about him. Day after day she'd sit and wait for his return. She learned to love rainy days, and spent more time inside in case he'd ever come back.

One lilac colored morning, she was startled awake by the sound of glass shattering. Her heart pounded in fear.

_How could anyone rob me in broad daylight?_ She thought as she cautiously slipped out from under the covers. She peered around the bedroom, and noticed her window had a cracked hole through it. Her eyes met the broken mess on the brown carpet, and lying there was a simple baseball.

_What's this? _She picked it up and rolled it around. It was battered and worn, as if it'd been played with far too much. It reminded her of how she used to play all of the time, and now she spent all of her days inside waiting for the person she had accidently become attached to in one day.

Her bare feet stepped into the softer carpet of the living room. She stared at the front door which had opened her heart to him on that rainy day. She remained motionless and counted the seconds.

_It takes thirty minutes to get here from the nearest field if walking. Ten if running._

She clutched the baseball harder between her small fingers as she bit her lower lip. As the time ticked away, the world outside began drizzling.

And then the numbers in her mind had reached the ten minute mark. She held her breath for another minute until the rain began forcing itself onto her windowpane. Her anticipation and hope drained away. And just as the rain poured from the sky, tears developed in her eyes and trailed down her red cheeks.

She fell to her knees and sobbed as the darkness from outside swallowed the room. She'd always been alone before the day he came. And then she was happy. She was happy after he left. She was happy with the memories he gave. But as the months continued rolling in, those memories began dying and she could only see his smiling face. She wanted more than anything to make more happy memories with someone like him. But no one ever came. She was left with only hope. And just now it died and faded away.

She sat up and chucked the worthless ball through her open window and returned to her loud and painful crying. Her body hurt from the pain of heartbreak even though there wasn't anything between them. For one day she had everything. She only wished she'd never have met him. Then perhaps the same loneliness she'd been feeling all along wouldn't hurt so bad. She fell back and hugged her knees to her chest. Once again she hated the rain.

"OW!" She heard someone shout from outside, and all at once her sobbing stopped. She stared and could suddenly see a familiar blue-headed boy walking up the couple of steps that lead to her front door. Without knocking, he opened it and stepped inside. He rubbed the back of his head and held the baseball in one hand.

Their eyes intertwined in view and the world became so silent that only the pit-pattering of rain outside and his heavy breathing could be heard.

"Did this…" he held up the ball, "happen to fly through your window?"

She stared blankly at him for a few moments and simply nodded.

He smiled wide, dropping the baseball and running to her. He fell to his knees next to her and threw his arms around her, hugging her close.

"Yui," he cried, "I thought for sure I'd never see you again!"

She began quivering and nudged him away with the little bit of strength she had. "What…" she looked into his violet eyes, "what are you talking about?"

His atmosphere filled her with the feeling that he was relieved to see her, that faint grin and happy expression reminding her of all that time ago.

"After I left those many months before, I went home. I told you it was far away… so I was unfamiliar with where I was. I found it and fell asleep, but that never stopped my thinking about you. I wanted to come visit the day after, but I couldn't find your home… and now…" he dropped his head as he sat there on his knees, his body starting to shake.

"You…" she smiled as honestly as she ever had "…idiot."

He looked up at her and then hugged her again.

_I'm alone._

_I won't let you be alone anymore._

_I'm sad._

_I won't let you be sad anymore._

_I'm empty._

_Let me be the one to fill the hole in your life. I can't let you be on your own anymore. From now on, I'll be your friend. Even if I'm your only friend, I'll be there until the end. I'll take care of you if you're sick, like you took care of me on the day our souls met._


	2. Since the Beginning of Time

**Chapter Two  
**Since the Beginning of Time

She hummed a tune from the happiness in her heart as she set out a pot of flowers onto the outside of her windowsill. They were her favorites: white roses. Someone special had given them to her the other day, and she wanted the whole world to see it. Once she had placed them, she took both hands to her hips which were covered by a long white sundress. She sighed joyously, then pulled her large wool hat down a bit over her forehead.

She skipped down the sidewalk in her sandals, still humming quietly as her pink hair flowed behind her. She had every reason in the world to feel as glad as she was. But the biggest reason was her friend.

Daily he visited her, and sometimes she'd visit him. No matter what, they'd always have fun and laugh. It was a simple but great life they led together.

Sometimes they'd go play baseball with one another, which was equally their favorite sport. Sometimes they'd visit the beach. Sometimes they'd run in the park. But no matter what, they'd never go out in the rain. That was her rule. And he respected that.

Today, she was going somewhere by herself. But only for a little while. She'd never leave his side for very long. No matter what, they were always together. That's just how it was and how it has been since a few years back. She knew nothing except that he made her happy. And that's all she needed.

At the same time, somewhere far away, he was standing out in the field, waiting to catch any ball that the opposing team had to hit. He decided to join a team from the support of his best friend. She'd normally come to watch his games, but she explained she needed to do something else that day. He'd still play with everything he has, because he promised her he'd make it to the big leagues one day.

It was a long game, but finally his team won. The sun was setting, and even though he was supposed to be celebrating with the rest, he couldn't help but stare at the benches where fans soon left. She told him she'd come as soon as she was done, and supposedly it wasn't going to take but an hour or two. But it's been almost five hours since the game started. And she wasn't there.

Realizing that he needed to check on her, he waved to his teammates and walked away. After all of this time, he still couldn't afford a vehicle. So after he was out of their sight, he began running. He pulled out his cell phone and pressed the button which fast-dialed her number. He stuck it to his ear and waited.

"Come on Yui, pick up," he whispered.

"The number you are trying to reach is unavailable at this time. Your call has been forwarded to an automated voice mail. Please leave a message after the beep."

**Beep.**

"Hello? Yui? Could you pick up please? I'm worried. Where are you? Yui? It's me, Hinata!"

**Beep.**

"Damnit!" He closed his phone harshly and shoved it back into his pocket, never ceasing his run. It was as if the wind carried him, for he never ran as fast as he was now.

Before long, he made it to her house and kicked open the door. None of the lights inside were on, and it just looked abandoned. He breathed heavily for a few moments.

"Yui? YUI?" He called and sprinted all throughout the house. He threw open her bedroom door, and on the dresser laid a picture they'd taken together last summer. Seeing her smiling face made him hysteric, and he burst back out the front door, slamming it behind him.

The sun continued setting, and it soon became dark out. Yet, he continued running. He had to find her. No matter what, he needed to find her.

_Because Yui is afraid of the dark._

As if time had sped up, he was suddenly at his house. Still in a panic, he pushed open his door. The living room light was on, and her sun hat rested on the couch next to her. She was laying there, eyes closed, feet bare, her usual hair accessories out. He carefully approached her and put one hand on her arm to check if she was breathing. As he touched her skin, she muttered something and then rolled off of the couch.

"Ah! I didn't do it!" She shouted and put both hands in the top of her head. After a few awkward moments, she looked up at him.

"Oh… Hinata-kun. What are you doing here?" She rubbed her eyes and yawned.

"I should be asking you that," he took her hand and pulled her onto her feet. She clumsily fell and landed her head on his chest.

He adopted an angry expression and nudged her away, yet his face was covered with blush. She took no notice as she rubbed her eyes some more and looked around.

"Eh? I'm in Hinata-kun's home," she deducted from her surroundings. "Ah!" She quickly picked up a box wrapped in pink with a blue ribbon around it that rested on the coffee table. "I accidently fell asleep. I was supposed to greet you when you came back," she presented it by pushing it against his chest. "I got this for you, because I knew you'd win today!"

He smiled with relief and took it from her. For the time between here and the game, every possible bad thing that could have happened to her ran through his head. He thought only the worse, and truly convinced himself that something occurred. Yet she was safe in his quiet home. This is where she'd always be safe.

"Why did y-" he started, holding it steadily with both hands.

"Just open it, you moron," she grinned cheekily at him and leaned closer.

He sighed and pulled the ribbon. He carefully tugged away at the wrapping until a cube cardboard box was all that was left to open. He cautiously pulled back the two flaps that covered the top, revealing inside a baseball. He grabbed it and placed the box on the coffee table. He rolled it around and found that it was signed by his favorite baseball player, saying "Great job, kid – H.R."

"Y-yui!" He stumbled back and landed on the couch. He gazed at it for the longest time, the note in blue ink, knowing it was legitimate. "How did you…?"

"That's the same ball Hinata-kun hit through my window a few years ago, remember?" She sat next to him, looking down at her feet. "I wanted to thank you… for being my friend."

"Yui," he stared at the ball, "this is the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me. How can I ever repay you?"

"Keep being my friend," she looked up and smiled kindly at him. He carefully put it back in the box and grabbed the blue ribbon. He scooted closer to her, which took her by surprise, but before she could move away he grabbed some of her hair and strategically tied the ribbon in it.

"That won't be hard," he smiled, and she smiled back.

"Then," she grabbed his hand and held it up between them, locking her pinky finger in his. "You have to promise to be my friend forever. Okay?"

He tightened his pinky around hers. "It's a deal then."

They leaned towards each other and touched foreheads, gazing at each other.

"Forever."


	3. A Sweet Disaster

**Chapter Three  
**A Sweet Disaster

She flipped open her pink cell phone. "No New Messages," it beamed up at her in large blue letters. She sighed and snapped it shut, shoving it into the pocket of her short blue jeans. She tucked some of her long pink hair behind her ear and sighed a second time.

She was standing in her front yard, toes in the grass, when she started to become paranoid. _He's fine. It's just traffic. It's only been half an hour. As they say, he's "fashionably late." That's all it is._

She checked her phone again, and still nothing. Her face turned flustered with frustration as she stomped to the white gate separating her home and the sidewalk, pushing it open and locking it behind her. She pranced down the walkway, feeling confident that she was going to scold him very well when she found him. She knew his route to her house, so that's the one she followed.

In the silence of the world, she was left to her thoughts. At first, she continuously told herself he was fine and she would rightfully yell at him. But slowly and surely, what she believed showed the worse possible events that could have happened to make him so late. Normally he was always right on time, but this time he's taken way longer than usual, and she's unable to contact him. As her imagination progressed to the scariest of ideas, her speed gradually increased until she was in a full sprint.

Her heart pounded cruelly against her ribcage as her fear rose. _He's fine, he's fine._ She quickly turned a corner without breaking her pace. _Oh, he's gonna get it when I see him. _She threw her legs, one in front of the other, reaching the speed of her maximum ability. _Hinata! Where are you?_

She turned one more corner, and that'd be her last. She stopped abruptly and almost fell forward by the sudden brake. The shock she took in almost pushed her to the ground. An accident scene: the ambulance pulling away with sirens on full blare, two completely crushed vehicles against each other, yellow tape and police officers crowding the area, along with a red stain on the pavement.

_No way._

She pushed her way through the large group of people that had gathered to see the tragedy. She reached the tape and leaned over, stretching to grab one of the police's arms. She yanked him closer and he almost yelled at her until he saw the panic in her eyes.

"Who?" Was all she managed to mutter.

"We've identified the Belshcmidt family of a father, mother, and two children. The other victim was…" he looked down at his clipboard and remained silent for a moment. "Hideki Hinata, I believe he was."

Before he could finish his sentence, she bolted away from the scene and down the street towards the ambulance. It was going pretty quickly, but her adrenaline pushed her so hard she ran directly behind it. It slowed for a turn, and she managed to hop on the back and pull the double doors open. She fell in and scrambled to his side, the medics stared at her, startled, but realized why she had done it and shut the doors. He was badly bandaged around the head and a blanket covered most of his body, but blood could be seen soaking through.

All that could be heard was the sirens and her sobbing.

* * *

_He's gonna get it._

She stared at her feet as the breeze of people passing by consistently overcame her. She sat there in the hallway, stuck on the thought of yelling at him. Her feet easily glided on the tiled floor, it was so clean. She thought nothing bad of her hair which covered her face. Instead, she was grateful that it could hide the emotions that plainly showed on her face.

_He's such an idiot._

People's words were mumbled and nothing else. She didn't care about them or their problems. She needed to plan what she was going to say when she saw him. Something like "You're late," or "You're not too bright." An insult of course. Because he made her wait.

_He can't leave me._

"Miss… Yui?"

_I need him._

She slowly lifted her head to greet eyes peering through rectangular glasses. Her face was contorted in pain, but not a single tear showed in her eyes or on her face. She looked pale and frail as she sat there, looking up at someone she hated for no reason.

"That's you, then," he sighed and pulled out a clipboard like the police officer's, and her body twitched. "You're here for Hideki Hinata, are you not?"

"I am," she whispered in a monotone voice.

"He has a small concussion to the head, but that's all, and he'll recover soon," the tall man in a white coat assured her with a smile.

She dropped her head, saying nothing. He walked away, and the world remained dead to her. She made no noise as everyone around her continued their lives like nothing had happened.

Time seemed an unimportant factor and slipped away as she sat there. No one bothered her, almost as if they could see into her soul and tell that being left alone was the best thing for her. Every once and awhile, her body would start quivering, and then abruptly stop. She couldn't think about anything else but his shining face when she saw him again, and how she'd smack his shoulder and scold him to remove that silly smirk. Yet, whenever she started to shake, those happy plans would vanish into thin air as her thoughts turned to that accident scene and the image of his pale face surrounded by blood.

Another fit of trembling started again.

_He's not breathing._

_He's dead._

_No, he can't be._

_I need him._

"Yui."

Without another second or thought, she stood up and threw her arms around the person standing before her, her body continuing to jolt now and again in a spasm as she tried to hold back her weak side.

"It's okay. It's okay as long as it's with me," he patted her head and ran his fingers through her hair as violent sobbing overcame her. She clutched onto his shirt harder and pushed her face further into his chest as she soaked him with her tears. He slowly wrapped his arms around her and pulled her near.

"You… i-idiot!" She blurted out and hugged him harder.

"I'm fine, Yui," he smiled and kissed the top of her head. "I'm sorry for making you wait."

"Y-you moron!" She pulled away from him, keeping her head down as she rubbed her eyes to try and hide the obvious tears, though her face remained red.

"Forgive me," he leaned over and caressed her cheek in his hand, wiping her eye with his thumb. "Sweet Yui."

_You are my only friend. _

_Please don't leave me._

_I'm so alone._

_I need you._


	4. Now I Know

**Chapter Four  
**Now I Know

"I'm fine, really."

"No, you're going to lay here until I say so."

"Yui's punishment is tiring~"

"Stay still! Hinata!"

She raised her voice, so he obediently laid back and watched her carefully with trusting eyes, even though there was such a sharp and scornful look upon her brow. He said nothing with his lips pinched together, eyes unsure of what she was planning. He couldn't read her like he could everyone else. She was the only one that was a mystery all day every day.

Even though she tried so hard he could tell she wasn't as angry as she was relieved. And it all seemed so normal for him to lie before her like that, as still as she'd commanded. But there was something missing. A small feeling no one looked for. But in this silence, as if in an epiphany, their thoughts turned.

Her face became red between the pink waves of hair which he'd grown to love. Even though she became further from him, he had a relaxed smile on his face. Because he knew. She didn't.

She clutched her chest with her hands and squeezed the fabric of clothing between trembling fingers.

"O-okay, you can go now," she declared, her heart racing. He stood up but towered over her, looking down upon her and holding onto the gaze with her eyes. Her whole body shook.

"What's wrong?" He asked, tilting his head to the side.

"I started thinking about…" she paused, "something. And I don't feel good."

"What were you thinking about?" I leaned over and kissed the top of her head and her hands clung harder, as if she were trying to stop the wild pounding of her heart.

"S-stop!" She stepped back and glared at him. "You read my mind, didn't you? Now you're teasing me!"

"What are you talking about?" He looked so comfortable before her, as if all the hostility from before had completely disappeared with the knowledge he just accepted.

She looked at her feet and her voice sounded like it was struggling to hold back sadness. "You're my only friend Hinata," her body jerked suddenly and she didn't stop grasping her chest for dear life.

"Yeah," his content face remained as he silently urged her to continue to the point.

"A-and you're a guy…" she paused and looked up to him.

"Seriously?" He looked confused. "You're acting strange because of that? I've been a guy and you're only friend for so many years now."

"Yeah but…" she swallowed hard, "suddenly it's different."

"How?"

"Just now I remembered what I thought about at the hospital." She watched him and continued with as much confidence as she could muster. "And… it makes sense. My only friend, always by my side, always making me happy. So I guess it should be like this, right?"

"You're really slow, Yui," he laughed and grabbed her hand. Leaning over so he could be face-to-face with her, he tightened his grip on her small and fragile hand as he closed his eyes and meet lips with her. Her face had never been so red, eyes wide in his subtle embrace. When he pulled away she speechlessly searched his eyes for the feelings she never felt.

"Y-you read my mind again?" She stood there, motionless, and he didn't let go of her hand.

"No, I only guessed what you were going to say," he shrugged his shoulders and didn't break the gaze between them. "But I want to hear you say it with your cute voice, okay?"

"Y-you're so weird," her knees trembled but she held his hand firmly. "Hinata, I like you. I've liked you a lot for awhile now. I didn't get why my heart would pump quickly every time you touched me, and I didn't understand why my face would get red whenever you'd get close. But after I was so worried about you I had time to think and my heart burst and explained everything to me in one instant."

Silence.

"I like you Hinata."

Just like before he leaned into her, except this time she closed her eyes and kissed him back. He tasted sweet with a smile against her lips and warm tears streamed down her pink cheeks.

"I like you too, Yui."

"I'm glad," she smiled whole-heartedly.

"Me, too," he kissed her hand. "Because I've been hiding it since the first day I saw you."

His lips against her fingers, she watched him with a sadder face. "You've… suffered a lot?"

"Not really, because I have Yui," he sat down on the bed she was forcing him to lay on only a few minutes before. "I've always had Yui." Without their hands slipping away from each other, she sat next to him and nudged her body close.

"I'm sorry," she smiled again, tears continuing to fall from her eyes.

"Like I said," he wiped her tears with his free hand, "you're really slow."

"Idiot," she grinned.

He smiled and kissed her again.

* * *

"Hey isn't that girl over there cute?" The delinquent slurped some of his soda with a straw.

"Shut up, Eiji," the blue-haired boy glared at his friend.

"Huh, how come you're never digging girls?" He slipped a look at the girl again.

"Because that girl there is mine," he smiled at the words that had come from his own mouth.

"Wh-what?" His friend jumped from the table he was sitting on. "Since when did you get a girlfriend?"

"Don't you recognize her?"

"Oh, wait, that's the girl you're always with," his friend relaxed and again sipped his soda.

"She finally learned her feelings," his face looked pleasant as he watched her water her plants.

"So are you a man yet?"

The sound of a powerful slap caused the pink-haired girl to lift her head and look across the street, into the park where the disruptive noise had come from.

"Don't say such things!" His face was redder than a fresh apple as he stood over his friend who sat on the ground. "S-she's too innocent for stupid things!"

"Family," Eiji got back onto his feet and rubbed his cheek. "That's all you'd ever talk about before you started dating. You'd go on and on about a family with that girl you loved. You know how to make a family, don't you?"

"Sh-shut up, idiot!"

"Hey, you're kind of cute when you're flustered," he sipped the soda which sounded almost empty, "don't make such a face any more."

"I really hate you," he growled.

"I'm just kidding, man," he tossed the empty soda into a nearby garbage can and sat back on the bench table. "Really, I'm proud of you for finally confessing, even though she did it first."

"Yui is…" He watched her as she walked back inside of her quaint house full of memories. "Yui is the most precious treasure in the world to me."

His friend smiled knowingly. "Oh yeah, I have a date," he lied and jumped up from the bench table and started wandering away. "Go to your girl, I'll catch you later Hinata."

He watched his friend leave with a confused look on his face, but he turned away and headed to the small and familiar house he loved with his special person safe inside.

_Because this is how things are supposed to be._


	5. Safe

**Chapter Five  
**Safe

"Oh, really?" Her face beamed in disappointment, even though she tried to show some enthusiasm for his happiness, but it wouldn't come.

"It's only for the weekend, I swear," he nervously swept his body to the door of the bedroom, and she cornered him there with brows furrowed and a pout upon her lip.

"Away for two days…" she trailed off as if she started that sentence for no one else but her to hear.

"I'll call before and after the game and every other time, okay?" He tried to be strong and stood up straight to assert some authority.

Tears threatened in those eyes of flaming pink, matching her blushing face, but she kept that hard expression. "Just Hinata's voice will be hard to deal with."

"I could leave you with a little something," he approached her and kissed the gentle forehead of this girl he loved. She said nothing as he proceeded to kiss her neck and feel her hips.

_This touch with a hidden message of love behind it is our life together. Everything… gentle and caring. Never once could I be rough with her tender kiss and the taste of her heart. But we're aging… and I know how love never dies with us, so I have a plan._

* * *

The sun beat down on the entire team and their opponents; sweat dripping from every chin. But none more so than the blue-headed one out in the field ready to catch a flying ball. He was left there with the sounds of the game, yet only acted concerned with his thoughts. _I have a plan._

"Hideki-san! It's heading your way!"

_**Thud.**_

The sound of failure. He picked up the ball which laid a few inches from his feet and tossed it to the pitcher. They had a silent moment of eye contact before the pitcher turned to continue.

Before long the smack of another ball echoed to and through his head and he watched as it flew past him, high above in the sky, and landed outside of the fence.

All of his teammates grunted in displeasure but he couldn't keep his head in the game and his mind started wandering again. He was eventually called back and replaced by someone else. He sat on the bench, not feeling guilty at all for failing his team, because he hadn't noticed he did.

"Hinata, are you listening?"

"Huh?" He looked up and met the silver eyes of his coach.

"What's wrong with you, boy?" He sat next to the kid with his head in the clouds.

"I'm sorry coach," he apologized sincerely, "I keep thinking about something else."

The angry expression on the elderly man turned to some sort of compassion. "You're a good kid, Hideki-san, whatever's bothering you won't be a problem for you."

"Thanks sensei," he smiled kindly at the strange showing of affection as the man stood back up and continued to yell at the players on the field.

_It's okay. I have a plan._

* * *

"He's late," she said aloud to no one in particular. "I hate it when he's late," her heart pounded. Even a few years after the incident, not a day goes by when she doesn't think back to the time she almost lost him forever. Before she knew it she was pacing back and forth against the cream colored carpet of his humble home. She wanted to wait for him there when she worried about whether or not he'd come here first. She didn't tell him about it.

"He called and said he won," she continued her thoughts with her voice and paced more ferociously.

She checked one more time on the things she had set up, and when she heard his vehicle pull up in the driveway, her heart skipped a beat. She grabbed the lighter and set fire to the wick of one of the many candles. Swiftly she got them done and set herself in place on a tiny chair.

The muffle of jingling keys could be heard on the other side of the front door, and it creaked when it was finally opened. He shut it behind him and put the coat he was carrying with one arm away when he noticed Yui sitting at the small dinner table with food lined over it and candles lighting her cute face.

He paused for a moment, being at a loss for words, and then approached her and sat carefully on the seat opposite hers.

"Is this what you prepared for, for two days?" He grinned.

"For Hinata," she tilted her head to the side and put on a small but sweet smile. "Enjoy please, congratulations on winning."

They ate in mostly silence after he finished describing the game. It wasn't the awkward silence you get on dates, but the comfortable kind where those present are content with just one another's companionship.

After they finished they quietly sat against each other on the couch, and every once awhile he'd provide a tiny kiss on the top of her head while she twisted her fingers in his.

_So this is what they call happiness, huh?_

"Ah, wait, Yui," he pushed himself up and away from her, stood before her, and took her hand to help her to stand next to him. "I have something for you, too."

"Oh, why?" She asked with her eyes glimmering, small excitement bubbling up inside of her.

"Because I'm sorry for leaving," he knelt down on one knee and took her hand with one of his, holding it ever so tenderly as if she were a fragile butterfly. "And I'm going to make sure I never do it again," he reached his free hand into the pocket of his black pants and pulled out a small box with the design of a baseball on it. She peered at it for a moment, slightly confused.

"This looks like a baseball because this is how we met, remember?" He grinned as she blinked, surprised at the craftsmanship on such a small container. Still one hand in hers, refusing to let go, he worked his fingers to push open the box to reveal a gleaming diamond ring.

"Hinata?"

"Yui," his eyes seemed to shine as much as the stone, "I really love you, so would you do me a great honor by being my wife and marrying me?"

"Hina… Hinata…" Those same pink eyes which burned with joy earlier now filled with warm tears of a greater happiness. Her knees wobbled as her free hand held her mouth, and she eventually fell to her knees before the man proposing.

"Yui."

"Hinata I love you," she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him hard. She released him and looked at the ring that held so many promises and the true feeling of love. "I love you, Hinata," she took the ring and put it on her finger, watching it for a few quiet moments. "I love you, so nothing would make me happier than being your wife."

They immediately clung to each other, arms around waists and lips locked with lips. Over and over they equally repeated the word "love" as their hearts connected and everything was okay at last.

She smiled.

He smiled.

"Idiot," she laughed.

He stuck his forehead to hers. "Always your idiot, from now to forever."

_Forever._


	6. New Life for the Lost

**Chapter Six  
**New Life

"WHAT?" His friend shouted and nearly fell out of his chair. Still, they smiled widely at each other in a brief moment of eye contact before his friend was up and hugging him too hard.

"E-Eiji that hurts," he gasped as the man held harder, eventually letting go.

"Whoa, man, I can't even believe you," he laughed awkwardly and fell backward onto his seat.

"Your reaction is too much like how mine was," he sat next to the hysterical companion.

"A dad…" he trailed off. "Whatever happened to 'Having kids will give me cooties.'?"

"I was seven, you moron," he shoved the friend's arm lightly with his fist.

"Hinata, this is huge," he took a large bite of his tuna sandwich. "You guys only got married a month ago. Every couple wishes for it to happen as quickly as it did for you two."

The sun beat down on the two friends as they sat on a familiar park bench, watching across the street where the young pink-haired married woman watered her plants and sung a song that echoed from the radio sitting on a window sill. She danced around and her voice traveled far. No one complained and simply enjoyed the beauty of her song.

"I'm the luckiest man alive," he grinned.

"How did she tell you?" He asked, talking with his mouth full of tuna.

"I guess I'll give you the details," he yawned and stretched.

* * *

_She sat on top of him as he laid on the couch; her arms folded as she stuck her tongue in her cheek and furrowed her eyebrows at him. _

"_Yui, are you getting heavier?" He asked innocently as he tried to pull himself out from under her._

_**SMACK.**_

_Her eyes welled up with sour water. "Idiot, you big fat idiot!"_

"_What's wrong? You've been acting differently lately," he rubbed the cheek that was slapped._

_She pinched her lips and looked away, staring at nothing in particular as she refrained from answering him._

"_Yui?"_

"_Stupid husband," she sighed and stood up. He returned to a normal sitting position and watched her carefully as she stepped sideways and held her hands at the bottom of her thin belly._

"_Don't you see it?" she asked, rubbing the area and trying to shove it out more._

_He blinked cluelessly at her._

_She sighed again and turned away, her back to him, and cleared her throat._

"_My tummy is growing," she declared. "But not because I'm eating too much."_

_Silence._

"_I'm pregnant."_

"_Y…Yui?" He breathed her name, hardly being able to form it with his voice as she turned and faced him, staring gently into his eyes to try and convey a feeling of honesty._

_He put his hands very carefully on her stomach, so cautiously as if moving too quickly would destroy the life growing inside of her. He could feel the tiny bump forming on her normally flat waist. He could sense that something they created was being formed. A new life. A life made by them. A life to be cherished and loved, catered to just like their marriage._

_Very slowly he wrapped his arms around her and put his head on the growing belly, closing his eyes. She kept one hand in his, and the other swept through his hair as her shirt became wet with his happy tears._

"_I love you, Hinata," she smiled down at him._

_He looked up and into her eyes. "I love you, Yui."_

* * *

"Push, ma'am!" The doctor commanded as he stood down at her feet.

She squeezed her husband's hand with intense force as she did what she was told, breathing hard and grunting as she tried to get the child inside free.

"Something's wrong," one of the nurses declared.

"Get him out of here!" The doctor ordered and several male nurses had to pull the husband away from the wife. He struggled, as he didn't understand what was happening, but went to the waiting room anyway. And he sat there.

He sat there like Yui did, when she thought he had died. His head in his hands, he couldn't help but wonder what was happening.

Anything could go wrong. The baby inside may not make it. It could be born with several diseases. They might have to perform surgery to get it out of the mother.

Everything was swimming wildly in and out of his mind. Why did they have to remove him? What was "wrong," according to the nurse? What's going to happen to his baby?

_Tick._

_Tick._

_Tick._

_Tick._

_Tick._

_The clock is taunting me._

Hours. Hours went by, and still not a single word was spoken to him. The last thing he said to her was "I love you." And she said she loved him too. That's all that matters. They love each other.

And then the shuffling of feet. A doctor standing before him. A different one than the one making the delivery. What does that mean?

"Hideki Hinata, present for the delivery of his first child from Hideki Yui?"

He stood up immediately. "Yes, doctor sir?"

"The delivery of your child went well. Nothing seems to be wrong with the baby. Congratulations, it's a baby girl."

He smiled wide and almost ran past the doctor in search of his little girl, when the doctor cleared his throat and started hard at the new father.

"What's wrong?" He asked, still trying to get past the man.

"But regrettably your wife passed away during the delivery."

"What?"

"Mrs. Hideki Yui did not survive the birth."

"What?"

"Your wife is no longer with us. Something happened and she could not live. I am very sorry. Please take a moment. When you are ready, we need you to sign some things before you can take your daughter home."

"Yui's dead?"

"Yes, I am so sorry."

"Yui… my Yui? My wife? The same one who I married? Mother of my daughter? She's dead?"

"You should sit down."

"Don't touch me!"

"Mister Hideki…"

He ran past the doctor and burst into the room Yui was to be in after the birth. She laid there, the moon shining in through the windows, illuminating her face and making it far too pale. Her eyes were closed and her body was still. He sat by her side and grabbed her hand.

Cold… cold fingers. Cold, lifeless fingers.

Cold, unforgiving tears.

Crying.

Cold tears falling into her cold hand.

Frozen.

Lifeless.

_Gone._

_I thought…_

_I thought you promised me forever?_


	7. Beautiful Baby Says Goodbye

**Chapter Seven  
**Beautiful Baby Says Goodbye

Pain pulsed throughout his body as he sat, legs dangling off the side of the two-person bed. Both sides were unmade, yet only one side had been slept in for seven years. The other hadn't been touched since the last time she woke up.

She'd never wake up again.

One hand covered his face, holding his eyes closed, trying to stop tears from pushing through. The other clutched the edge of the bedding, his knuckles becoming white from the power of his grip. His chest was caught as he avoided breathing. It was hard, but with persistence, not a drop of sadness would leave his aching body.

The world around him blurred, but he could hear a soft voice penetrate his ears. Immediately, he looked up, soft pink eyes staring back into him.

"Are you okay?" The child's words caressed his heart as she innocently watched him.

A smirk glided over his lips, his expression faking a joy. "I'm fine, darling." He reached and rested both hands carefully around her waist, lifting her to his lap.

"You can't lie to me, daddy," she glared at him, tongue pressed to her cheek.

Just like her mother.

"Reika," he closed his eyes, sighed, and pressed his lips upon her forehead. "It's okay. Would you like to get some ice cream?"

"I wanna go see mommy," she mumbled and slipped from his lap, her short blue hair shuffling around her blushing face.

His heart skipped a beat at the mention of her. "Are you sure?" He asked carefully, pushing himself from the bedside. He reached down and took the child's hand, leading her from the room. He took her into a pink room, her room, and took a dress from the closet. The child willingly unclothed herself, promptly taking the dress to pull over her small body. She then followed her father into the bathroom, where he brushed her hair and stuck a white rose accessory into the side of her tender blue bangs.

"Beautiful as always," he smiled once he finished readying her, stepping back to observe her every aspect in order to assure her perfection.

"Can we visit mommy, now?" She muttered and stepped around him, approaching the front door.

"Are you sure you don't want to just go get some ice cream?" He asked, glancing toward a shelf where a familiar baseball rested in a glass case. He paused, memories flowing into his mind. He almost didn't hear his tiny daughter step over to him. Her small fingers slipped into his wavering hand, yanking his arm toward the open door.

"We have to see mommy every day, remember?" She pulled him outside, persistently dragging him to the small white gate separating the yard from the sidewalk.

"Yes, yes," he agreed and began willingly following her after closing the door behind them. The sun increased in brightness as they left, glowing on her face and reflecting off his eyes. "Slow down, Reika," he chuckled, "don't you want to drive there?"

She led him down the walkway, never once hesitating. "Nm, daddy, we're walking today." She giggled, looking back at him with a smiling face, her rose eyes meeting his lilac pair, "You need some fresh air anyway, so don't be dumb. I like walking more, too," her grin disappeared as she returned her gaze to the world ahead of them.

Just like her mother.

He tenderly squeezed the youth's hand as their pace increased ever so slightly. As long as they continued moving, their lives would never stop. "Do you want to get ice cream after this?" He tilted his head to the side.

"Don't be silly," she giggled again, "I have school, remember?"

"Right."

The leaves shifted around them as they neared their destination. The wind blew through their similarly sapphire hair, providing a gentle atmosphere.

They reached the piped fences, black as night. The ground within them was swept with emerald grass, stomped upon by two pairs of shoes as they stepped in a straight line. They knew exactly where they were going; they'd been there thousands of times. Her hand left his as she ran ahead, stopping under a single tree.

The area was shaded carefully by the moving leaves of the tree. Few trees dotted the area, but none were as towering as the single one they sat under.

"Hi, mommy," the little girl got on her knees, resting her hands cautiously in her stocking-covered lap. She pushed her face forward and kissed the smooth rock emanating from the ground. "Today's Tuesday," she drifted away, looking up into the sun shining through branches. "I have to go to school soon," she confessed, "but I wanted to see you first."

The tall man with hands shoved in his pockets finally caught up to the child. He leaned his back against the bark of the tree, watching his daughter as she spoke to her mother.

"Oh!" She quickly got to her feet, pulling out the sides of her dress, twirling once. "Daddy bought me this new dress," she laughed. "Do you like it?" After a moment of silence, she sat back down. "I really love it," she mused and rearranged the barrette in her hair.

Nothing more was said for a few minutes as they quietly enjoyed the ecstasy of the world surrounding them. Then, the flaming pink eyes of the child looked back and up at her father. "Don't you want to say something?" She asked honestly, standing from her kneeled position.

"Not really," he mumbled and peered down at his watch. "Ah, the bus is almost at the stop. Go, hurry!"

Her face lit up. "Okay!" She grabbed his sleeve and yanked him toward her. When his face was low enough, she placed her tender lips on his cheek. "I love you, daddy," she smiled whole-heartedly. "See you after school~!"

"I love you, too, Reika," he grinned and watched as she turned and ran from him. Once she was out of the gates, the world settled back into calm.

"Alone again," he chuckled carefully. "She's full of energy," he admitted. "She's so much like you, it's scary." He laughed slightly.

Silence.

"I miss you," his face contorted in sadness, his body beginning to tremble. "I miss you so much." He got on his knees, leaning over and kissing the tombstone. "It hurts, Yui."

He arched his back and grabbed his face, trying to hold back, but the tears violently poured from his lilac eyes.

Slowly moans left his throat as his body wrecked with uncontrollable tremors, the sour tears forcing themselves out even harder. He sobbed there, the ground soaking in his cries, until he was almost yelling in pain.

Time ticked by carefully as his screams slowed back down into gentle sobs. He shook terribly as he leaned over the place she was buried. His lips delicately met with the tombstone once more until all that was left was tears.

"Why did you have to go?" He managed to breathe the words, staring at the letters forming "Hideki Yui" on the grave.

"I love you."

Her voice came from nothing, but clearly met with his ears. He shot up, looking everywhere, but he was the only one in the entire cemetery. His body decayed back. The wind increased in strength, momentarily caressing his wet face. He laughed at the absurdity of what he heard, and kissed the gravestone once more.

"I love you, Yui."

_Forever._

* * *

**The End**


End file.
